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Readers Write: The border, Summit Avenue bike trail, Mayo Clinic, U of M interim pick

We've got to fix our border policy.

May 12, 2023 at 11:00PM
Migrants cross the Rio Grande as they try to get to the U.S. from the Mexican city of Matamoros on May 11. A surge of migrants is expected at the U.S.-Mexico border cities as the Biden administration ended its use of Title 42, the strict protocol to deny entry to migrants and expel asylum-seekers based on the COVID emergency. (ALFREDO ESTRELLA, TNS/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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A plea to President Joe Biden: I am a former nonprofit accredited immigration worker who enthusiastically voted for you in 2020, in the hopes that your administration would eschew the former president's policies at our southern border. I have been greatly disappointed in this regard, as you have chosen to enact policies that favor turning away people rather than finding creative solutions that will protect the most vulnerable ("Asylum at border limited as COVID restrictions end," May 11).

In my five years of immigration work, I served many asylees who would have been denied entry to the U.S. under your version of the "stay in Mexico" and post-Title 42 policies — people who needed lifesaving asylum and would now be denied it, despite your campaign promises otherwise. If people fleeing gangs in El Salvador, or political persecution in Eritrea, or religious persecution in Iran, show up at our border requesting asylum, they should not be forced to stay in Mexico or seek asylum in Guatemala, where they may face just as many dangers as they did at home.

Please reconsider your border policy. Make asylum attainable rather than impossible for those who are fleeing death and violence. Mobilize our vast resources, not to keep people out, but to welcome those who need help and a new start.

Timothy Paulson, Minneapolis

BIKING

Make Summit safe for kids

Future generations will appreciate a reconstructed Summit Avenue. The safety of its painted bike lanes, once revolutionary, has become questionable. Bikers face risks from cars drifting into the center bike lane from the left and from parked cars intruding upon the bike lane from the right, especially in winter. Only experienced and confident bikers are willing to navigate these risks.

The city of St. Paul has developed a plan to replace the painted bike lanes on Summit Avenue with a safer and more appealing trail for cycling enthusiasts. Although the plan promotes cycling in general, it is essential to prioritize children and youth in this effort. Young people, in particular, lack experience and confidence in navigating the risks of biking between lanes of parked and moving cars. The new plan addresses this by creating separate and elevated bike trails that are free from the hazards posed by cars.

The proposed trail offers several benefits for young people, including a safer environment for unsupervised outdoor activities, socializing with peers and physical exercise. With hundreds of thousands of kids projected to use the trail for trips between schools, homes and local businesses, the potential impact is significant for the next century. Furthermore, by designating the Summit Avenue Regional Trail for non-carbon-based transportation, we join young people in the fight against climate disruption.

Decisionmakers will soon vote on the plan. I hope they will consider the sustainable transportation benefits of the Summit Avenue Regional Trail plan for future generations.

Hugo Bruggeman, St. Paul

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Bicycle etiquette and survival skills refresher: A quick reminder to help keep the bicycling community happy, healthy and safe.

  1. When coming up behind another cycler, a simple "on your left" is appreciated. That courtesy will prevent crashes that result when the lead bike swerves to avoid a three-inch crack in the pavement or an ear-budded, screen-enthralled walker. Extra credit for "on your left, three bikes passing" when appropriate.
    1. Remember that all humans driving cars are idiots. You will live longer. The exceptions are those observant, kind, good people who stop their cars and allow you to cross the road safely. Always smile and wave a friendly thank-you!
      1. Please turn off your white-hot strobe airport-landing headlights when you cycle the trails. Yes, we can see you. They are very irritating and unnecessary. And snootily disrespectful of your fellow bicyclists.
        1. Have fun everybody, and keep on biking.

          Bill Holden, Minneapolis

          HEALTH CARE

          Give Mayo a break

          Is it just possible that the stories about Mayo Clinic vs. the Legislature are exactly backward? ("Mayo sends warning over health legislation," front page, May 6.) The reporting essentially says that Mayo is threatening to stop investing in Minnesota if the nursing and cost-of-health-care bills pass. Might it be closer to the truth that the Legislature is threatening the operating methods of the nation's No. 1 hospital and that Mayo is just explaining that it can't invest more money in Minnesota if the Legislature's interference isn't the magic fix legislators hope for? The Legislature started this ruckus.

          I'm not saying that nurses don't have a bone to pick. There clearly is a message here for hospital administrators that an essential pillar of health care, nurses, are not happy. COVID broke the system and a lot of people's backs while they cared for the millions who needed hospital care. It just might be that there is a better fix than one that disrupts the operations of the nation's No. 1 hospital. My second guess is that meddling in the operations of any of the state's hospitals might just be too heavy-handed for the problem we face.

          Even if it takes a special session, it's time to listen more and find a better plan.

          Robert M. Bendzick, Rochester

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          My wife is a retired nurse. I am a retired physician. The profound professional satisfaction I often experienced during my long career could have never occurred without the great patient care that was rendered by the many nurses that I was privileged to work with. But the current posturing by the Mayo Clinic reminds us that daily deeds of human compassion by hardworking nurses doesn't carry the clout of the almighty dollar. Regulations that would ensure patient safety by mandating appropriate staffing levels might indeed be costly. But can a price tag be placed on quality nursing care? Apparently the administration at the Mayo Clinic thinks so. And, they're willing to take their services elsewhere if things aren't done their way.

          There's no question as to the outstanding work done by the Mayo Clinic. But it's a sad moment when corporate expansion takes precedent over patient care.

          Richard Masur, Minneapolis

          •••

          Two years ago it was Republican politicians in St. Paul who meddled in the affairs of one of the best-run health care facilities anywhere in the world ("House Republicans Criticize Mayo Clinic for employee vaccine mandate," StarTribune.com, Dec. 16, 2021). Now it is Democratic politicians in St. Paul telling the world-class organization how to staff its facilities. Is it any wonder why it would want to plan its growth in states where politicians are not constantly meddling in its affairs? Health care organizations are facing enough challenges without this constant interference from politicians. Get off Mayo's back and let it run its world-class organization.

          Tom Traub, Lakeville

          U OF M INTERIM PRESIDENT

          Sometimes an outsider is needed

          A recent letter to the editor questioned the wisdom of the University of Minnesota regents selecting an interim president with a nonacademic background ("U regents choose interim president," May 9). I have some experience with this. While I was on the faculty of Duke University in 1970, Terry Sanford was selected as the new president. The choice was lamented many of the faculty, as Sanford had no previous academic experience and in fact was merely a "politician." Sanford subsequently served for 15 years, overseeing the transformation of Duke University from a somewhat provincial southern school into a world-class research institution. He was obviously not directly responsible for the academic achievements during this time, but he brought the critical administrative experience needed to support the faculty and programs that facilitated this growth.

          Robert Bache, Hopkins

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